Mommy Blogging- "Commenting and the "L" word"

Ok, so, I promised to tell you what happened as a result of a comment. But, you'll have to wait just a tad bit longer for that.

Because we need to talk.

About comments.

And about L ... L ...L ...ugh, I can't get the word out of my keyboard ...L ...lurking. There I said it. Now I need a shower.

As a result of making "friends in my laptop" and the whole spider web thing that happens in blogging, I have been extremely taken aback by the increased traffic I have enjoyed over the last few months. I am not an attention seeker, and I don’t have the desire to be the most clicked on site on the planet. I enjoy having a following of people who like to interact by sitting down behind their computer with their beverage of choice, clicking over for a visit and letting me know they were here and vice versa. I'm not gonna lie girls! Who doesn’t love comments. They are like little presents left behind by the blogger gremlins. There is nothing more disappointing than taking two hours to type, edit, re-type, edit, re-type and publish a post only to receive no feedback especially when you know someone is there. I don't care if you hate what I said, or agree with what I said or tell me as one commenter did that she didn’t think she liked me because she thought I seemed “too perfect, too smart, and too funny,” (although I have to admit that one stung for a couple of days) I still like feedback. I always try to read the blogs of those people who take the time to read and comment on what I've written. Whenever I visit a blog, I almost always leave a comment whether or not I ever go back. Give your fellow bloggers some love will ya. If you are a blogger and complain about not getting enough comments well then let me remind you of the unwritten blogger promise. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about, but you just won’t admit it: It’s the “I'll comment on yours if you comment on mine,” blogger promise. (I told ya I was going to talk about things we think about but won't admit.) But you know what, you really need to have that exchange if you are in it to build relationships. If you are in it for glory or comment stock piling or to become the blogarina of the decade, then you will be insincere in your commenting and people like me will sniff it out and never return the favor. I can't stand phonies with transparent motives.

Having said all that, my discussion of Mommy blogging wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging my bloggy friends who read what I have to say but never leave a comment. I am not going to use the “L” word because we all know that it gives me the creeps. But, I just want you to know that I know you are there, and I appreciate your “repeat” business. My favorite stat on my statcounter is “Multiple visits spread over more than one day” next to the IP address. (Don’t worry, I have no idea who anyone is and can’t track you down). But, seeing that always makes me smile. I’d rather have less traffic and repeat "bidness" than lots of “one and dones.” Because if you come back, then it means I'm doing something right, and I do appreciate every click I get, even the silent ones.

Now, let me tell you what happened as the result of a comment....

Last week, I left a comment on someone else's blog about the middle school I attended in San Antonio, Texas and the high school I would have attended had we not moved the summer before ninth grade. Shanan from All My Kids 123 saw the comment, clicked over to my blog, left me a comment that she went to that same middle school and high school around the same time. We exchanged emails, and as it turns out, she went to elementary school with my younger brother, hung out with my NEXT door neighbor, dated one of my brother's best friends in high school and is still close friends with his two other best buddy's from back in the day. Oh yeah, let's queue it up girls: "It's a small world after all. " Yes, six degrees of separation exists even in the blogosphere. But you'll never know unless you put yourself out there. And if you don't, that's ok, too.

Because I have been heavy on words and light on pics for the last few days, I decided to tag on a little show and tell to this post. My new bloggy friend Shanan (All my Kids 123) posted about this cool giraffe print purse she bought new on Ebay which I drooled over and decided I must have since it wasn't very expensive. This one is similar to hers, not exact, because I decided that would be kind of weird. So $24.99-and-a-$5.00-off-shipping-coupon-later, I ordered one up and it will be arriving in the next week. Love it. And the moral of the story is that I got this cute little number all because of a comment she left that sent me to her blog!


Next Mommy Blogging topic: When, where, how, and do I need a 12 step program yet?

Meanwhile, do you have any fun stories about comments left on your blog?